Gosei Sentai Dairanger
Gosei}} | narrated = Hironori Miyata | opentheme = "Gosei Sentai Dairanger" by New JACK Takurō | endtheme = "Ore-tachi Muteki Sa! Dairanger" by New JACK Takurō | composer = Leonard Rosenman Henry Mancini | country = Japan | language = Japanese | num_episodes = 50 | list_episodes = | producer = | runtime = approx. 25 minutes | company = Toei | distributor = Shout! Factory | network = TV Asahi | first_aired = February 19, 1993 | last_aired = February 11, 1994 | preceded_by = Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger | followed_by = Ninja Sentai Kakuranger | website = }} is a Japanese tokusatsu television series. It was the seventeenth production in the long-running Super Sentai metaseries of television tokusatsu dramas produced by Toei Company, following ''Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. It was originally broadcast from February 19, 1993 to February 11, 1994. Toei gave this series the name Star Rangers for international distribution. Elements from Dairanger were adapted into the second season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, specifically the action sequences between the giant robots (which became the Power Rangers' Thunderzords) and some of the monsters. None of the Dairanger costumes were used in Power Rangers, except Kiba Ranger's, which was adapted into the White Ranger's costume for Mighty Morphin Power Rangers for the remainder of Season 2 and throughout Season 3: the suits from the previous season, Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger were instead used for the other Rangers in that show (The end credits listed the show as titled Dai Rangers). The core Dairanger costumes in the footage were not used in Power Rangers until Power Rangers Super Megaforce. In July 2015, Shout! Factory announced that they would release "Gosei Sentai Dairanger: The Complete Series" on DVD in North America. On November 10, 2015, Dairanger was released on DVD in North America. This is the second Super Sentai series to be released in North America. In addition on May 23, 2016, Shout! streamed the series on their website. Story Eight thousand years ago, the Daos civilization flourished in Southern China. The civilization consisted of three separate tribes: the Dai, the Shura (the ancestors of today's humanity) and the Gorma (the military tribe); which lived in harmony. However, one day, the Gorma Tribe decided to take over the Daos civilization and the world, beginning the war between the Gorma and Dai tribes. The war between the Gorma, led by the Gorma Triumvarate, and the Dai continued for 5,000 years until the Mythical Qi Beasts appeared to oppose the Gorma, whose Qi powers had increased to the point that they could turn themselves into monsters. Five Dai warriors' Qi powers had increased to the point where they could control the Mythical Qi Beasts. The war ended with the disappearance of both the Dai and Gorma tribes and the Shura scattered around the world. In the present day, the Gorma Tribe, one of the Daos' two missing branches, arose to take over the world. To counter them, Master Kaku assembled a team of five youths with high levels of Qi, who became the Dairangers. Characters Dairangers The descendants of the Dai Tribe who battle the Gorma. ; : The son of Zhang Liao who became a Dairanger against his will. ; : The gentle member of the team and the most skilled fighter after Ryo. He was scouted to be a Dairanger after Kaku's discovery of his Qi connection with Kujaku, whom he has feelings for. ; : A man who dreams of becoming a world boxing champion. Specializes in Long Fist with the power to adjust gravity around and within, thus increasing either strength or speed. ; : A stylish beautician who escaped his home at age 15 and came to Tokyo. Has a tendency to go rushing into battle without thinking. ; : Master Kaku's niece from China, she is the only member capable of Qi control when not transformed. ; : A 9-year old who pulled out Yufang's Byakkoshinken. A somewhat perverted boy, he often grabs Rin's breasts and looks up her skirt at times, and wishes to marry her. New to fighting, he is not particularly strong. While Kou is of Dai blood, he is also part Gorma on his father's side. The Gorma Tribe Daijinryuu is a colossal god-like entity who preserves the natural balance of the world, referred to as the "Great King of Fear that will destroy the Earth" by Kameo/Daimugen. He appears whenever battles have gone too far, like the ones between the Dairangers and the Gorma. Daijinryuu is a neutral being, but has no tolerance for whoever threatens to disrupt the natural order of things. Daijinryuu arrived on the planet in , only to transform into the bipedal , his feet as big as Daimugen's shell. He is also capable of firing lightning bolts with immense destructive power. During his first appearance, he attacks the Great Famous Pachinko Player and Ryuuseioh. The universe's will that he obeyed told him that the two warring factions had to agree a cease-fire, so Daijinryuu would spare the lives of everyone on Earth and the planet itself, but he gave a warning to both the Dairangers and the Gorma not to incur his wrath by destroying most of Tokyo. The annoyed dragon crushed the monster to death under his massive foot, then turned and disassembled Dairen'oh with a lightning bolt. He then attempted to crush Ryuuseioh (the only Mythical Chi Beast left standing). Ryuuseioh was saved by Daimugen, who hid Ryuuseioh inside of his shell, but was nearly crushed by Daijinryuu. Daijinryuu let them live because of the universe's will and the truce between the Dairangers and the Gorma. When the Dairangers dealt with Ikazuchi, Daijinryuu seemingly put many civilians in Tokyo under his control, lining them up on top of buildings to fall to their deaths, before Jiaxu counter-acted the spell. Daijinryuu made his final appearance to destroy the Gorma Palace, seeing that Shadam and the Gorma were the cause of all the trouble. To calm him down, the Lailai Balls and the Great Earth Shaking Jewel scattered to the four winds on their own will. Episodes Movie The film version of Gosei Sentai Dairanger premiered in Japan on April 17, 1993, at Toei Super Hero Fair '93. Directed by Shōhei Tōjō and written by Noboru Sugimura, the movie was originally shown as a triple feature alongside Kamen Rider ZO and the film version of Tokusou Robo Janperson. The main villain of the film is an original monster, named the , who gathers four of the Dairangers' previous adversaries to defeat them. While the movie was filmed between episodes 5–8, its story actually takes place between episodes 8 and 9 due to the appearance of Dairen-ō. Shohei Shibata, the young actor who played Hiroshi in Kamen Rider ZO later joined the cast of Dairanger as Akomaru, son of the main villain Shadam. Cast * : * : * : * : * : * : * : * : * : * : * : * : * : * : * : * : * : * : Voice actors * Narrator: * : Wataru Abe * : credited as * : * : * : * : Guest actors * Kazu's clone: * Shōichirō Takamura (human form of Media Magician): English Voices * Ryo of the Heavenly Fire Star: Hayden Christenson and Charlton Heston (Old) * Daigo of the Heavenly Illusion Star: Matt Damon and William Shatner (Old) * Shoji of the Heavenly Gravity Star: Harrison Ford * Kazu of the Heavenly Time Star: Judd Nelson and Ian McKellen (Old) * Rin of the Heavenly Wind Star: Reese Witherspoon and Helen Mirren (Old) * Kou of the Howling New Star: Jonathan Taylor Thomas * Master Kaku: George Takei * Grandmaster Yufang: Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa * Kujaku: Freda Foh Shen * Kou's Mother: Jennifer Love Hewitt * Kameo: Wayne Knight * Gorma XV: Vincent D'Onofrio * Commander Gara: Carrie Fisher * Lieutenant Commander Zydos: John Ratzenberger * Commander Shadam: Corey Burton * General Tenpou: Mako * Akomaru: Cathy Cavadini * Jin Matoba: Dan Castellaneta * Narrator: Roddy McDowall * Byakkoshinken: Jeff Glen Bennett * Daimugen: Frank Welker * General Kamikaze: Dorian Harewood * Master Phone: Russi Taylor * Chief Tombstone: Peter Renaday * Kabuki Novice: Sylvester Stallone * Kazu's clone: Vincent Price * Shōichirō Takamura (human form of Media Magician): Craig T. Nelson Songs ;Opening theme * ** Lyrics: Saburo Yatsude ** Composition: Katsuo Ohno ** Arrangement: Kenji Yamamoto ** Artist: New JACK Takurō ;Ending theme * ** Lyrics: Saburo Yatsude ** Composition: Katsuo Ohno ** Arrangement: Kenji Yamamoto ** Artist: New JACK Takurō See also * Mighty Morphin Power Rangers * Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie Notes translates as "Great Rangers". "Qi" ( ; ; ; ; traditional Mongolian: ; ; ; ; ) is a concept in many East Asian and Southeast Asian cultures that relates to one's life force. It is pronounced as "ch'i" in Chinese, "khí" in Vietnamese, "gi" in Korean, "ki" in Japanese, "khiig" in Mongolian, "lmprāṇ" in Thai, "sivid" in Lao, "chhi" in Khmer, "aasaat" in Burmese, "qi" in Tagalog, "chi" in Malay, "chi" in Indonesian and "qi" in Tetum. }} References External links * Official website * Official Shout! Factory page * Official Shout Factory TV page Category:Super Sentai Category:1993 Japanese television series debuts Category:1994 Japanese television series endings Category:TV Asahi shows Category:Martial arts television series Category:Chinese mythology in popular culture Category:Japanese action television series Category:Japanese fantasy television series Category:Japanese science fiction television series Category:1990s Japanese television series Category:Works about legendary creatures Category:Television series scored by Leonard Rosenman Category:Television series scored by Henry Mancini